§ 25-274. Same—Goal 2: Improve the visual quality of Jefferson Parish.

Objective 2.1: Preserve and enhance the parish tree canopy and natural vegetation.

Policy 2.1.1: Create voluntary incentives to preserve canopy trees wherever feasible through landscaping credits, flexible design, pervious pavement and innovative construction practices.

Comment: This policy is not intended to limit the ability of communities to adopt tree preservation requirements.

Policy 2.1.2: Increase the awareness of the benefits of trees and natural vegetation through various educational efforts.

Policy 2.1.3: Integrate trees and natural vegetation into the built environment to beautify, buffer, and shelter structures and facilities.

Policy 2.1.4: Coordinate with the private sector in efforts to preserve, protect, and plant trees and natural vegetation.

Policy 2.1.5: Effectively maintain the parish tree canopy and natural vegetation on public rights-of-way through adequate funding for monitoring, maintenance and replacement while considering the impact on adjacent infrastructure.

Objective 2.2: Improve the visual quality of streets and highways through the use of landscaping, billboards and signage regulations, and beautification projects.

Policy 2.2.1: Enforce and improve signage regulations to reduce the number and size of signs in Jefferson Parish.

Policy 2.2.2: Enhance landscaping, buffering, and street tree plantings in roadways serving as gateways into Jefferson Parish including Airline Drive, Veterans Boulevard, Highway 90, and Jefferson Highway.

Policy 2.2.3: Improve the overall appearance of roadways by reducing clutter caused by poorly designed and located signs, fences, curb cuts, wiring, poles, mismatched street lights, and signals.

Policy 2.2.4: Develop streetscape enhancement projects for specific traffic corridors including, but not limited to, Clearview Parkway, Veterans Boulevard, Airline Drive, Jefferson Highway, Causeway Boulevard, David Drive, West Esplanade, Severn, West Napoleon Avenue, West Bank Expressway, Lapalco Boulevard, Barataria Boulevard, Manhattan Boulevard, Belle Chase Highway, and U.S. 90 (Future I-49 Corridor).

Policy 2.2.5: Encourage high quality signage that is attractive, appropriate for the location and balances visibility needs with aesthetic needs.

Objective 2.3: Adopt standards and procedures to facilitate pedestrian-accessible commercial developments that offer a variety of retail and commercial services in a manner that is compatible with the character of surrounding neighborhoods.

Policy 2.3.1: Ensure that neighborhood commercial facilities are located so as to serve residential areas without disrupting the integrity of residential areas.

Policy 2.3.2: Encourage commercial developments that provide for a pedestrian-friendly environment by including requirements and voluntary incentives within zoning and subdivision regulations that allow for the provision of open space, plazas, and streetscape treatments.

Policy 2.3.3: Encourage a mixture of retail, office, civic, and public benefit uses to promote convenience, efficiency and long-term vitality of commercial areas.

Policy 2.3.4: Ensure that low intensity commercial uses adjacent to residential uses maintain the residential character and scale, and mitigate the effects of non-residential traffic into the adjacent neighborhoods.

Objective 2.4 : Adopt standards that create attractive neighborhoods with a variety of housing types and convenient access to adjacent neighborhoods, parks, schools and neighborhood shopping.

Policy 2.4.1: Plan and provide for active and passive recreational facilities and opportunities to meet existing and projected needs of neighborhoods.

Policy 2.4.2: Pursue the compatible co-location of facilities by locating new public facilities as near as possible to existing and proposed community facilities, including parks, recreational centers, community centers, schools, galleries, libraries, and health centers.

Policy 2.4.3 : Design schools, parks and neighborhood shopping areas to be accessible to neighborhood residents via tree-lined sidewalks and bicycle facilities.

Policy 2.4.4: Encourage a balanced land use mix through flexible zoning and subdivision regulations that facilitate compatible development of a variety of housing types and densities.

Policy 2.4.5: Provide appropriate voluntary incentives (e.g., increased densities/intensities) for the dedication of public facilities that meet the needs of existing neighborhoods, as well as those of proposed development.

Objective 2.5: Incorporate a design standards element into the comprehensive plan.

Policy 2.5.1: Involve all stakeholders in the creation of a design element that shall serve as a tool to guide and promote high-quality urban design within Jefferson Parish.

Policy 2.5.2: Promote design that facilitates compatible inclusion of the following elements in residential neighborhoods:

a.

Residential with neighborhood serving commercial;

b.

Compatible mixes of types and sizes of structures;

c.

Compatible mixes of densities;

d.

Interconnected streets and dispersed traffic pattern;

e.

Sidewalks;

f.

Street tree canopies while considering the impact on adjacent infrastructure.

Policy 2.5.3: Promote positive design through the inclusion of the following elements in commercial and mixed-use areas:

a.

Compact buildings of similar mass and scale, which create a street wall;

b.

Mixtures of coordinated architectural styles;

c.

Pedestrian and transit supportive orientation toward the street;

d.

Integration of a mix of mutually supportive uses; and

e.

Inter-connectivity between adjacent land uses.

(Ord. No. 21939, § 1, 8-6-03; Ord. No. 22997, § 1, 2-28-07; Ord. No. 24734 , § IV, 4-30-14)